APPARATUS FOR THE CUTTING OF ONE OR MORE GRASS SODS AND A METHOD FOR THE STACKING THEREOF

Abstract: Apparatus for cutting grass sods out of grass land and for stacking or rolling up into a predetermined amount of stacks or rolls of one or more grass sods, comprising: a frame (2) provided with two or more wheels suspended thereon, a cutting head (5) suspended in the frame for cutting under the grass sods, a first conveyor (6) which is mounted on the frame in driving direction as seen from behind the cutting head and which repeatedly transports the grass sods from the cutting head in an upwards direction, a second conveyor (7) mounted on the frame in a driving direction as seen from behind the first conveyor and whereof at least one part is moveable with respect to the first conveyor and/or the other part to the second conveyor. The base concept of the present invention aims to provide a universal grass sod cutting apparatus which can process big rolls as well as stacked grass sods in other ways. Due to the working costs and level of training needed for personal working on the land, the automatic laying down (and therefore also the manufacturing of) large rolls of grass sods is more or less desired.

Description: APPARATUS FOR THE CUTTING OF ONE OR MORE GRASS SODS AND A METHOD FOR THE STACKING THEREOF Due to various reasons it has become fashionable to cut increasingly broader grass sods, of for instance 48 inches or 120 cm (more than 40 or 60 cm) out of grass land with the help of cutting means. These reasons mostly concern the quicker laying down of large grass surface areas, such as those needed for sports fields, golf courses, large lawns and such like, as well as the greater possibilities for laying down of large rolls of grass lengths with the help of apparatus. In the European patent application EP-A-0178081 and the European patent application published under the number EP-A-0420689, devices are described for the laying down of broad grass sods (in the form of so called big rolls) . In the European patent published under the number EP-A-0221745, a driven vehicle is described for the making of such big rolls from grass sods. This device is however only suitable for this and does not allow for the cutting and stacking of grass sods in any other way. The present invention provides a method for cutting out and stacking up of one or more grass sods wherein the first part of a cut out grass sod is placed on a holder therefor whereafter the grass sod is folded up and a second part of the grass sod is placed on the first part. According to this first aspect of the invention a method is provided which makes it possible to cut out and stack up grass sods in such a manner that a similar grass sod can be pulled of the stacked up grass sods with a relatively simple help means or with the hand, and placed then at the desired place. Furthermore the present invention provides an apparatus for cutting grass sods out of grass land and for stacking or rolling up into a pre-deter ined amount of stacks or rolls of one or more grass sods, comprising: - a frame provided with two or more wheels suspended thereon, - a cutting head suspended in the frame for cutting under the grass sods, - a first conveyor which is mounted on the frame in driving direction as seen from behind the cutting head and which repeatedly transports the grass sods from the cutting head in an upwards direction, - a second conveyor mounted on the frame in a driving direction as seen from behind the first conveyor and whereof at least one part is moveable with respect to the first conveyor and/or the other part to the second conveyor. The base concept of the present invention aims to provide a universal grass sod cutting apparatus which can process big rolls as well as stacked grass sods in other ways. Due to the working costs and level of training needed for personnel working on the land, the automatic laying down (and therefore also the manufacturing of) large rolls of grass sods is more or less desired. Further advantages, characteristics and details of the present invention will become clear with respect to the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings which show: Figure 1 a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention. Figure 2 a side view of the apparatus from figure 1 in a first working position. Figure 3 a side view of the apparatus from figure 1 in a second working position. Figure 4 a scheme of a possible embodiment of the hydraulic system of the apparatus from figure 1, Figure 5 a perspective view of detail 5 in figure 1, Figure 6 a perspective view of stacked up grass sods, relating to the position shown in figure 2. Figure 7 a perspective view of stacked up grass sods according to the position shown in figure 3, and Figure 8 a perspective view of one of the other possibilities for a stacking of relatively large grass sods. An apparatus (figure 1) according to the present invention comprises a frame 2 which is provided with a bar 3 on the front side to be secured to a draw bar eye 4 of a puller (not shown) . A cutting head 5 is secured in frame 2 which is preferably changeable and suspended somewhat moveable in the frame 2, so that this cutting head 5 can follow possible irregularities in the ground surface level and can thus cut out grass sods of near enough uniform thickness. Details of a cutting head for cutting out grass sods are described in the older patent US-A-4.892.152 of the applicant. Although the cutting head 5 is capable of cutting out grass sods with a breadth of 48 inches, 120 cm or for instance 1 meter, one or more narrower strips of grass can also be cut out with another cutting head. It is possible for the cutting out of grass sods with a conventional breadth to suspend three knives next to each other in the cutting head which are preferably somewhat moveable relative to each other. Suspending is preferably such that with three knives next to each other an equal force is exerted on the knives by the weight of the holder or the cutting head frame. In the frame 2, a first conveyor 6 is secured behind the cutting head for transporting the grass sods upwards from the cutting head (see arrow W) . A second conveyor 7 is also secured on the frame 2 which in the position shown in figures 1 and 2 connects to the conveyor 6 and transports the grass sods further in an upwards direction (arrow B) whereafter these are transported downwards between these conveyors 8 or 9, which both form part of the second conveyor 7, and are stacked on a pallet P. The pallet P is shifted onto a fork 10, which is secured to a frame part 11, which according to arrow C is moveable in an upwards and downwards direction in accordance with the height of the grass sods G already stacked. The part conveyors 8 and 9 are swivelable to and fro, as depicted by broken arrow D, by means of a hydraulicly operable plunger 13 so that the grass sods are stacked onto pallet P in a zig-zag manner. A grass sod stacked in such a zig-zag manner can be lain out by simply pulling on the upperside thereof, if the strength of the grass sod allows this. In a further not shown manner, an approaching sensor is for instance mounted on the underside of one of the conveyors 8, 9 which is workably connected with a schematically shown device 14 for lowering the fork 10 and thereby the pallet P with regularity, so that the distance between the underside of the part conveyors 8, 9 and the upper side of the grass sod G remains roughly constant. It will be clear that the conveying speed of the conveyors 6, 7 respectively as well as the part conveyors 8, 9 respectively which make up part of conveyor 7 are synchronized with each other. In the position shown in figure 3 of the embodiment 1 of the present invention, the conveyor 6 is brought into a low position by means of hydraulic cylinders 20, 21 and there behind are two help conveyors 22 in the transporting direction of the conveyor 6. In this position of the apparatus, the first conveyor 6 and the part conveyors 22 and 23 belonging thereto work together with the part conveyors 8 and 9 which belong to the second conveyor 7. In figure 3 is, above all, schematically depicted how with the aid of a driving belt 24, of which the length by means of an adjusting member 25 secured to the frame 26, is adjustable, the synchronization of the driving of the conveyors takes place. The part conveyors 8 and 9 are driven via the driving belt 24 and the fixed head part of the second conveyor 7 whilst the help conveyors 22 and 23 are driven via driving belt 24 and the head part of the first conveyor 6. In figure 2, the help conveyors 22, 23 are respectively folded away under the main part of the first conveyor 6 and the driving belt 24 is so adjusted, with the aid of the adjusting element 25, that synchronization again takes place between the first and second conveyors 6, 7 respectively. It is also shown in figure 4 that the driving of the first conveyor 6 and second conveyor 7 is synchronized by means of the driving belt 24. A schematically depicted driving belt 40 is also seen in figure 4 which guarantees the synchronization of the conveyors 8 and 9 with the first conveyor 6. For the hydraulic steering of the diverse drivers, a hydraulic system is preferably used, which preferably makes use of a power take off 41 of a further not shown puller. In a manner already known, a hydraulic unit 42 is connected thereon, with which the driving of the diverse driving belts and other hydraulic cylinders depicted in figure 4 is taken care of. The to and fro movement of the part conveyors 8 and 9 via plunger 13 and the therewith belonging cylinder 42 is of particular importance. In the shown example of the embodiment a pulley 44, along which the driving belt 40 is guided, is workably coupled with a hydraulic operating member 45 for operating plunger 13 via the hydraulic cylinder 43. The cutting head 5 is shown in more detail in figure 5 so as it is placed in the frame 2 in the embodiments shown in figures 1-4. This cutting head is, apart from the large breadth thereof for cutting out of earlier mentioned breadths of 120 cm, in many ways similar to the cutting head as shown and described in the earlier mentioned American patent of the applicant. With the aid of adjusting means, schematically depicted by 51, a knife 52 is, according to arrow I with respect to a roll 53, adjustable for adjusting the thickness of a sod to be cut. On the front side of the frame a vertically moveable knife 53 is also mounted which determines the length of grass sod to be cut during operation. It is also conceivable to place a cutting-off knife near to the first or second conveyor for cutting off of the sod length. Punch elements 55 are placed in front of the roll 43 and under the knife 52 on the frame part 54 which punches a relatively small part of the grass land into the ground before a grass sod is cut out of the grass land. Under certain climatological circumstances is it sufficient that such relatively small parts of the grass land remain behind so that the grass land does not need to be further sown. It is also conceivable under these climatological circumstances and suitable grass sorts therefor, to leave behind small grass strips in the grass land wherefrom a complete grass land then grows. Concerning the cutting head 5 it is important to note that this is easily interchangeable and that it can thus just as readily with the shown and described preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the present invention, cut out narrower strips of grass according to the requirements, and transport these via the first conveyor of the cutting heads up and away. It is preferable then that each knife, for the cutting out of the narrower grass sods, is suspended independently in the cutting head so that each cutting head can follow possible irregularities in the level of the grass land and cut out sods of as much as possible consistent thickness. Because the second conveyor 7 is also easily interchangeably secured in the frame, it is for both broader and narrower grass strips possible to determine the manner of stacking onto the pallets according to the wishes of the customer. The narrow or broad grass strips can, according to wishes, by means of a vertically moveable knife such as the knife 56 in figure 5, be cut out with a determined length. The second conveyor can for instance be made up of two or three conveyors mounted above each other which are successively provided with a grass sod, due to the fact that the first conveyor 1 is moved up and down to a certain extent, whereafter each of the part conveyors can bring a smaller or bigger grass sod, whether or not folded, onto a pallet. In figure 6 a grass sod G, folded in a zig-zag manner, on a pallet P is shown, i.e. the final product of the preferred embodiment shown in figure 1 of the present invention in the position as shown in figure 1 and 2. A large roll 70 is obtained with the apparatus according to the present invention in the position as shown in figure 2. In figure 8 cut out grass sods G 1 with a breadth of 120 cm for example are repeatedly stacked onto each other. Depending on the embodiment of the second conveyor and cutting head, a large number of stacking methods are possible however, a number of the important ones being mentioned below: - the continuous so called "big slab", shown in figure 6, - the so called "big roll", shown in figure 7, - the loose slabs shown in figure 8, - a repeatedly one time double folded slab, - a repeatedly double folded half slab, where for instance for the connection the fold is not found half-way in the half slab, or narrower grass strips stacked up next to each other; or - repeatedly somewhat shifted in transverse direction with respect to the driving direction in order to obtain a better connection in the stacking. It is also possible to wind the grass sods or slabs round and round so that the grassy sides always lie on each other and thus the undersides also lie on each other. It also appears that with certain grass sorts, the making of big rolls or large stacks of grass sods encompasses problems because of the weakness of such grass sorts. It is conceivable that during the rolling up of the grass sods, or after a few layers in the stacking, a mesh of synthetic material for example can be supplied there between which further improves the connection. Such a synthetic mesh can then be brought into the stacking of a roll from the rear side or under the first or second conveyor. It is expected that it will be possible, with the above described apparatus for cutting and rolling up of large rolls, to leave a pipe or rod in the heart of the roll because this is not needed for rolling up, when the strength of the grass sod allows this. In the other case the required strength and connection can be obtained by the taking up of mesh on the outer side or possibly between the layers of grass in the roll. It will be clear that the cutting apparatus according to the present invention makes possible a great deal of new possibilities concerning the desired supply of grass sods. Deciding factors for the requirements of a grass sod grower concern the working costs for laying down of the grass sods, the strength of the grass sods, which apart from the sort of sown grass, is also related to the climatological circumstances as well as the requirements of the customers which can also be based on a certain ingrained practice. From the above it will be clear that the requested rights are in no way limited by the depicted and described preferred embodiments of the present invention. The requested rights are determined by the here following claims. Concerning this, it is of importance to note that with a cutting head and a conveyor for a broad grass sod, stacking and/or rolling up mechanisms can be coupled thereto in many ways. When two conveyors, taking a V-form, are placed on the rear side of the conveyor a large roll can be rolled there between whilst transport bands are possibly associated on the upperside for letting the roll, roll easily out. The V-like transport bands are preferably set up in such a way that the large roll can be taken up between the V-like transport bands, which are moveable thereto, set up so that they can be moved under the rolled up grass. Such an apparatus does also not need to be suitable for the stacking of to and fro moving grass sods, also called big slabs. In a similar manner it is conceivable to provide an apparatus which is only suitable for the stacking of broad strips of grass in a to and fro manner, or in the form of so called big slabs. The first and second conveyors can then be set up as one passing through conveyor. Due to the interchanging of the cutting head, such an apparatus can be easily made suitable for cutting out of narrow grass sods according to the requirements of the user of the apparatus. An important new aspect here is that with narrower grass sods a strip of grass can be left behind on the grass land, because under certain climatological circumstances the sowing of new grass need not be carried out because new grass land can form from the grass strip left behind. With narrow grass strips the conveyor can be provided with discs or baffle plates in order to bring the narrow grass strips into the desired mutual positions on the broad conveyor.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Method for cutting out and stacking up of one or more grass sods wherein the first part of a grass sod is placed onto a holder therefor, whereafter the grass sod is folded up and a second part of the grass sod is placed onto the first part. 2. Method according to claim l, wherein the grass sod is folded up at least twice. 3. Method according to claims 1 or 2 wherein the grass sod has a breadth of 60 to 120 cm. 4. Apparatus for cutting grass sods out of grass land and for stacking or rolling up into a pre-determined amount of stacks or rolls of one or more grass sods, comprising: - a frame provided with two or more wheels suspended thereon, - a cutting head suspended in the frame for cutting under the grass sods, - a first conveyor which is mounted on the frame in driving direction as seen from behind the cutting head and which repeatedly transports the grass sods from the cutting head in an upwards direction, - a second conveyor mounted on the frame in a driving direction as seen from behind the first conveyor and whereof at least one part is moveable with respect to the first conveyor and/or the other part to the second conveyor. 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, which is provided on the front side with a shaft for coupling to a puller. 6. Apparatus according to claims 4 or 5, wherein two of the wheels provided with relatively broad tyres, are rotatably associated on both sides of the outer side of the frame. 7. Apparatus according to claims 4, 5 or 6 wherein the breadth of the conveyor is at least 48 inches or 120 cm. 8. Apparatus according to any of the claims 4-7, wherein the cutting head is provided with two or more cutting knives arranged to move with respect to each other. 9. Apparatus according to any of the claims 4-8, wherein the first conveyor in a first high position connects onto the second conveyor and in the second low position connects onto a help conveyor belonging to the first conveyor for conveying the grass sods under the second conveyor for forming a large roll of grass sods with the help of one or more part conveyors of the second conveyor. 10. Apparatus according to any of the previous claims wherein the second conveyor is provided with a moveable to and fro part conveyor on the rear side thereof, which extends downwardly and which stacks the grass sods passing through in a zig-zag manner. 11. Apparatus according to any of the previous claims, wherein the first conveyor is provided with one or more help conveyors for repeatedly conveying the grass sods backwards at a lower level than the second conveyor. 12. Apparatus for cutting grass sods out of grass land and for stacking to a predetermined quantity one or more grass sods, comprising: - a frame provided with two or more therein suspended wheels; - a cutting head suspended in the frame for cutting the grass sods there beneath; - a conveyor mounted in the frame in the driving direction as seen from behind the cutting head which serves for repeatedly transporting the sods upwards from the cutting head; and - a to and fro moveable part which is secured to the end of the conveyor thereto and which stacks the grass sods in a to and fro movement downwards from the conveyor onto a storage holder. 13. Apparatus for cutting grass sods out of grass land and stacking to a pre-determined quantity of one or more grass sods, comprising: - a frame provided with two or more thereon suspended wheels; - a cutting head which is suspended in the frame and which is provided with two or more knives for the cutting of the grass sods there beneath; - a conveyor which is mounted on the frame in the driving direction as seen from behind the cutting head, for repeatedly transporting the grass sods upwards from the cutting head, wherein the conveyor is provided with displacing means such as baffles or discs for the displacing of the grass sods towards each other or away from each other during the transporting upwards of the grass sods. 14. Apparatus for cutting grass sods out of grass land and stacking or rolling up into a pre-determined quantity of one or more grass sods, comprising: - a frame provided with two or more thereon suspended wheels; - a cutting head which is suspended in the frame and which serves for cutting the grass sods there beneath; - a conveyor which is mounted in the frame in the driving direction as seen from behind the cutting head and which serves for repeatedly transporting the grass sods upwards from the cutting head; - a receiving device made up of two downwardly pointing conveyors which mutually form an acute angle of about 45° where between, in the first position, the grass sod is rolled up and where, in a second position, the rolled up grass sod can be unloaded onto a pallet or such like. 15. Method for cutting out and stacking up of one or more grass sods wherein the rolled up grass sods of for instance 60 cm or larger breadth, for instance with a breadth of 80, 100 or 120 cm, are provided with a protecting layer of for instance synthetic mesh on the outerside and/or between the layers of the roll.

Inventors: VAN VUUREN JOHANNES, VAN VUUREN, JOHANNES
Applicants: VUUREN JOHANNES VAN, VAN VUUREN, JOHANNES
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A01B45
IPC codes: A01B45